Cinnamon Sugar Butternut Squash Chips

And while to many this may mean wearing red, white, & blue, watching sports on tv, and having a cookout, in my household it mainly means one thing: food.

Sure, we don our best patriotic outfits, and we may turn on the sports channel (and mute it… sorry America), but all that really matters to us when it comes down to it are the chips & dip. Well, not only the chips and dip. Also the burgers, hot dogs, chili, desserts, snacks, and anything else we can get our hands on. After all, it’s our nation’s Independence day, so why not live it up?

The Fourth of July also usually entails get-togethers or parties between families, friends, and neighbors. And since we almost always have people stopping by, bringing a variety of additional snacks, desserts, etc., it can definitely get a little unhealthy in my household! So if you’re like me, and try to balance the greasy/salty food fest of the Fourth with healthier options, these “chips” are definitely for you!

If you haven’t already had your world rocked by my recipe for The Best Butternut Squash Fries, prepare to be blown away. These Butternut Squash Chips are basically the fries’ sweet counterpart, except for the fact that they’re crispy, crunchy, and taste almost like sweet potato chips (except better). Not to mention, they make your kitchen smell like heaven while baking. Just imagine: the smell of cinnamon-sugar drifting through your house… I’m drooling just thinking about it!

These chips are also super easy to make! If you have a food processor with a slicer attachment use it, it will make your life 10x easier. If not, you can definitely still slice these chips by hand, but it’s going to take about 5-10 minutes longer. After that, you just drop them in a bag with the cinnamon sugar goodness and shake, shake, shake! Once fully coated, just spread these babies over a baking sheet, pop ’em in the oven, and wait for the magic to happen.

This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled if bringing to a Fourth of July Party, or even if you just want to zip them in a bag and have an easy go-to snack for a week or so!

I’d tell you more, but these chips are calling my name. And it’d be rude to make ’em wait any longer! 😉

Cinnamon Sugar Butternut Squash Chips

280 g (about 2 c) butternut squash (peeled for best result)

1 tbs coconut oil

1 tsp sugar (or coconut sugar)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 °F. Slice (or shave) a butternut squash into thin rounds (the shape of chips or half circles) using a knife or the slicing blade of a food processor. In a quart-sized bag, combine coconut oil, sugar, and cinnamon. Place butternut squash into plastic bag, close, and move the rounds around until fully coated (or simply shake the bag). Remove and place on a nonstick parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 2 hours, or until crispy. Remove and enjoy!

Nutrition Information (from myfitnesspal.com)

Calories: 133

Fat: 7g

Carbs: 19g

Protein: 2g

(Yields 2 servings)

The nutrition information is calculated including all of the coconut oil, sugar, and cinnamon mixture. Depending on how much is left in the bag, the calories and fat content may vary slightly.